Quinn Clary Overcomes Injuries to Lead Harrison Into IHSAA Regionals

Harrison senior guard Quinn Clary was in street clothes the last time his team competed in the IHSAA class 4A regionals, 360 days ago. Saturday at 4 p.m., he gets to play in one.

Clary scored 23 points last Saturday to help Harrison repeat as the class 4A sectional champion over Kokomo, 59-56, and now the West Lafayette program faces Homestead in the regional championship at the Berry Bowl in Logansport on March 14. The arc from sidelined spectator to 23-point sectional performer is the kind of turnaround that makes a senior season worth following.

Describing Clary as a crafty player undersells the specificity of what he does: he hits 3-pointers in timely moments and uses his eyes, fakes, and subtle quickness to attack the basket and score. He is not purely a spot-up shooter or a drive-first guard; he reads the game, then exploits what it gives him.

The sectional championship itself nearly came apart in the third quarter. A tie-up between Harrison senior Brady Henchon and Kokomo guard DJ Nash nearly erupted into a melee, resulting in five players being ejected. Clary was among them, and not because he was directly involved in the initial exchange: he left the bench, which drew an automatic ejection and a one-game suspension. No punches were thrown, but the fallout was real. Clary served his suspension before returning as one of Harrison's primary weapons in the postseason push.

His impact this season extends beyond what he does with the ball. Clary has been mentoring freshman Titus Wilburn, a 5-foot-10 guard and brother of McCutcheon guard Trinity Wilburn, who is among the varsity playoff call-ups getting their first taste of deep postseason basketball. Wilburn has noticed the difference a senior's attention can make.

"He's showing me the little things," Wilburn said. "He's really positive and encouraging."

Clary does not frame leadership as a byproduct of winning. He frames it as the job itself.

"Being a leader of this team definitely does go beyond winning," Clary said. "For me personally, my job is to find success and bring guys along with me. Including our younger guys, pushing them in practice and encouraging them because a lot of our young guys have a lot of potential and the work ethic to go along with that so I'm really excited to see what they can do in the future."

A year ago, Clary watched regionals without a uniform on. Now he is Harrison's primary scoring threat and the player a freshman guard points to when asked about the culture of this team. That kind of full-circle moment tends to add something to a player's game that no stat captures cleanly, but the 23 points against Kokomo suggest it has not hurt his shot either. Homestead gets to find out Saturday in Logansport.